Disordered Secrets
- - - October 20th - - -
"Recognized. Superboy - B04. Miss Martian - B05."
Stepping out of the teleporter tube, Conner and Megan almost collided with Aqualad. All of their team, including Wolf, had gathered around the cave's Zeta station, as if awaiting their return from school. Even Zatanna was with them.
"There you are", Mary exclaimed, handing Conner a bulging backpack. "Would you mind carrying this?"
Slightly dazed, he accepted the heavy pack. "What's going on?"
He had watched Megan's cheerleading practice after classes, like he usually did. They had expected to spend another quiet evening together, watching a movie or so, trying to take their mind off the weekend's traumatic events. Kaldur and Mary had kept them company the previous evenings, but Conner had not expected anyone else to show up at the cave tonight.
"Do we have a mission?", Megan inquired.
"No, this is purely recreational", Kaldur responded, strapping a second bulky duffel bag across his shoulders. "We're going for a walk."
"Even my dad can't object to that", Zatanna smirked. She was wearing hiking boots with her usual outfit, topped by a warm black cloak.
Megan greeted their friend with a hug. "It's great to see you again, Tanna! "
Conner just nodded at her briefly, taking in the bustling scene around them. While Mary helped Kaldur adjust his backpack, Artemis was busy wrangling her oversized green coat from the hall-stand. Robin, wearing civilian clothes and sunglasses, was taking pictures of Wally with his phone, documenting the speedster's unsuccessful attempts at tying a red scarf around an indignant Wolf's neck.
"Come on, boy, we've got to make you look domesticated!", the red-head huffed.
"Oh, that's what you're trying to do?", Tanna laughed out.
She approached the snarling canine with a smile. "Hey, Wolf, you want to join us, right?"
Their white-furred companion growled at Wally one last time, then lowered his head reluctantly.
"All right then: Ruomalg mrahc: Kool ekil a dnuohsflow!"
Conner gaped, as his canine friend seemed to shrink to half his size, his long nuzzle shortening, the exposed muscles on his legs disappearing under a shiny coat of well-kempt fur.
"You're going to turn him back later, right?", he questioned.
"Don't worry, it's just an optical illusion. It will wear off around midnight. Glamour charms usually do."
Artemis replied with something that sounded oddly like "Bibbidy, bobbidy, boo."
Zatanna and Wally grinned in response, the rest of his team seemed just as clueless as Conner.
"Anyway", he started, choosing to ignore the nonsensical remark. "It's almost dark out already."
"That's why we're going to the West Coast", Mary informed them brightly, logging their destination into the Zeta controls. "That gives us three more hours till sunset. Is everyone ready?"
Mary had picked a beautiful path just out of San Francisco. Kaldur was glad he had asked her for advice to select a destination for their spontaneous field trip. His team had still barely recovered from the disastrous simulation four days ago. While he was far from forgiving his own blunders yet, he had at least realized that they all urgently needed something to take their mind off the entire affair, outside of the gloomy confines of their cave. They needed fresh air.
The trail led them across a wide rocky beach just below a cliff side, with spectacular views of coastal scenery. On their right-hand side, the rough rock face was dotted with Californian succulents, green leaves reflecting the golden evening sun. To their left, the mighty Pacific roared, blue waves lapping at their path. Above them, a pair of oystercatchers called out a beeping warning cry, and a swarm of terns took flight at their approach. Wolf yapped at the birds playfully. The disguised Wolfshound had taken the lead, followed closely by Conner and Megan. Robin, Zatanna, Mary and Kaldur formed the middle of their little progression, Artemis and Wally brought up the rear. They were chattering, about school, about cheerleading practice, about words and the weather and the view. About nothing important.
It felt peaceful, to simply walk together.
"So, you're 'traught' when you're happy, and you like to stay 'whelmed'… Does that mean if you fail to persuade someone, and they fail to dissuade you, you end up just 'suading' each other?"
"You got it, Z!"
Only half listening to Robin's and Tanna's exchange, Kaldur gazed across the glistering beach.
"This was a good choice", he murmured.
Mary nodded, a content smile on her lips.
"You picked a wonderful trail. Why is it so deserted?" They had barely met any other hikers so far.
"There is a signposted walkway on the top of the cliffs, which is far more frequented. This old trail down here can only be accessed at low tide, so it's not marked on any of the tourist maps."
"How did you find it?"
"Well, you can see a part of this beach from the top of the old water tower that hosts the San Francisco Zeta station. I simply went to look for it."
"Really?", Robin chimed in. "What were you doing in San Francisco?"
"I went to a concert!"
She laughed at their puzzled expressions. "I have time off, you know? Batman gave me permission to use the Zeta tubes freely and my, you know, my mentor, made a lot of brilliant suggestions. He told me about a concert hall in downtown San Francisco that plays just my type of jazz. And there is this laid-back artisanal restaurant near Gotham, 'The Jelly Lovers', where they sometimes give dance classes on Saturdays... He also recommended this wonderful Vietnemese food market around the corner from the New York City Zeta station - Tanna, do you know the place?"
"Oh, of course!" The young enchantress turned back towards them. "They sell the most delicious dumplings, and spicy soups, and the peanut sauce is simply 'asterous'!"
Mary chuckled. "That's the one! I've also finally gotten the hang of using public transport, since Red Tornado showed me how to read a subway map in Star City. I think my favourite destination is the Metropolis Museum, I've even bought a season pass for that."
Kaldur returned her smile, remembering their earlier discussion. "Twenty-five separate exhibitions?"
"I still haven't seen all", she laughed.
"What about your… about the curse?", Tanna asked carefully.
In response, Mary pulled a small earphone out of her jacket's pocked, closely resembling her League communicator. "Robin gave me this, I wear them whenever I leave the house alone."
"It's playing a continuous loop of 'alivio'", the Boy Wonder explained.
"I've also avoided Mexican or Italian restaurants", Mary continued. "Just in case, because of the riskier language…"
"All you talk about is food", Kid Flash complained from behind them. "Street food markets, restaurants… When are we finally unpacking those bags you gave Conner and Kaldur?"
Mary chuckled. "Not for a while yet, Wally. We're having a picnic when we've reached the next bay behind those rocky cliffs over there, all right?"
Kaldur had almost forgotten about the load on his back. Robin nudged him with his elbow, grinning smugly. "Picnic provisions, huh? Say, how does it feel to be degraded from team leader to the team's personal packhorse?"
"How 'miable'! You should be more 'pudent' to your friends", Tanna chided, poking his side. Within seconds, the two teens were engaged in an all-out tickle war.
It was the first time he'd seen Robin laugh so carelessly since that fatal Saturday night.
Kaldur breathed in deeply, savouring the salty sea air, feeling lighter than he had in days.
"Not bad", he replied. "I don't feel too bad at all."
Picking up sea shells and catching the occasional sand crab, Wally and Artemis finally managed to fall behind.
The path was narrower now, they had to climb across stretches of sea-weed covered stones straight beneath the cliff side. Slipping on one of the wetter boulders, Wally almost lost his footing.
"Steady now." Artemis grasped his arm.
Carefully, they made their way across the obstacle, holding each other's hand. Just to be sure.
On the other side, neither of them let go.
Until they came back into view of the rest of the team, of course.
"Did you not have a good time with the team, cuore mio? You look concerned?"
"What? Oh, no, dad, that picnic went great! It's just… There ought to be some kind of pun to make with 'discipline' and 'zipline', but the pronunciation just doesn't quite work out…"
With a bemused smile, Zatara brushed a kiss onto his daughter's wrinkled brow.
"If this is the measure of your sorrows, mi amore, I shall forever stay content."
- - - October 24th - - -
"So, apparently your Sphere is a sentient piece of alien technology, created by the Forever People who call themselves 'New Gods', at the planet of New Genesis", Dinah explained. She and Mary were sipping self-made smoothies just outside the cave's hangar doors, watching the team run up and down the hillside to warm up for their combat exercises. Mary had spent the past night with her elusive mentor in Gotham, hence she had missed Conner's report the previous evening.
"Superboy says the group of so-called gods he met could merge their bodies into some kind of huge glowing apparatus, to battle a band of crooks outfitted with red-hot energy weapons from their enemy planet of Apokolips." What a ridiculous name. Dinah would have doubted practically every part of Conner's story, if Superman had not been able to verify it, having witnessed most of the strange encounter from afar. "Oh, and Sphere can apparently unfold into some kind of flying motorbike, which Wally has already dubbed as Conner's 'Supercycle'."
Nodding calmly, Mary took another sip from her drink. "That's good to know, I suppose?"
Dinah shook her head at the girl's nonchalance. "Come on, Mary, does nothing faze you?"
"Asks the woman who can dismantle cars with her Canary Cry", Mary shot back with a smile. "Yesterday morning, when Superboy went out, I've been so caught up with watching Megan test the strength of her Martian telekinesis against Kaldur's Atlantean water-bending magic, that I completely forgotten to let our giant pet wolf back in from Canada through our convenient teleportation device." She smirked. "After a while, you get used to the impossible, you know?"
"Seriously, though, there must be something you're still excited about."
"Oh, haven't I told you? I finally got my driver's licence!"
Dinah laughed out loud. "Really? Aliens are normal, but driving cars is a big thing?"
Mary laughed back. "Welcome to my life."
"Well then… Congratulations, I guess?" Still chuckling, Dinah rose to her feet. It was time for a round of combat training, before she continued her individual talks with the teens.
"All right, everybody, let's get back down to the training rink! Today we're starting with grapples..."
"Hello, Megan! I almost forgot! I wanted to invite all of you to our Halloween Dance at Happy Harbor High School next Sunday."
Robin flinched at the thought. "Sorry, Miss M, I won't be able to join you for that."
They were all wolfing down dinner after a long day of training and psychoanalysis – or whatever you wanted to call Black Canary's attempts to talk them through their recovery from last week's simulation. Robin was used to similar sessions with Alfred whenever he had faced down one of Gotham's more gruesome goons.
"What's Halloween?", Kaldur asked innocently.
Wally almost fell out of his chair. "You don't know Halloween? It's the most amazing holiday ever! Unlimited candy!"
"Are you talking about All Hallow's Eve?", Mary inquired, serving yet another steaming bowl of lentil soup. "People still celebrate that? With carved turnips, bobbing for apples, divination games and all that?"
Everyone stared at her blankly. Robin was the first to remember her British background. "They use pumpkins here in the US", he explained.
"You're bobbing for pumpkins?" Her eyes had grown wide.
"We carve pumpkins", Wally clarified. "Come on, Mary, you've spent almost a year in the twenty-first century now. How can you not know about Halloween?"
"It's not celebrated in Gotham", Artemis softly reminded him.
Robin nodded darkly. In his city, parents hid their children safely away at the end of October. Until last year, even Robin himself had not been allowed to assist Batman on his patrols on that particular night.
"The Joker is still locked up at Arkham Asylum, so I expect the Riddler will be stealing the show this time", he mused.
Artemis shot him a worried glance. "If you need backup…"
"Oh, no, you go to that dance with the others. We'll be fine."
Artemis might live in Gotham, but she still counted as part of Green Arrow's team. And Batman hated asking others for backup.
Mary locked eyes with him for a moment. "I'll stand by with my mentor, just in case", she stated calmly.
He nodded, trying to hide a grateful smile. Even Batman wouldn't deny assistance from Alfred, and they might need a good nurse at his side…
- - - Sunday, October 31st - - -
It was sickening to watch them. Megan was lasciviously wrapping Conner with white bandages for his Halloween mummy costume, and he just wouldn't stop flirting with her. When had their two team mates turned so terribly sappy? Wally could only roll his eyes. They even colour-coordinated! Miss Martian had already morphed her own clothes into a fancy white corpse bride attire, perfectly matching Conner's bandages... And then, when it was time to step into the Zeta station, Conner bowed over her hand and asked "Would you care to join me for this dance?", and Megan started giggling like he had proposed…
Simply maddening.
When the couple had finally disappeared through the teleporter, Wally glanced back at his own – Companion? Date? Dance partner? Terrified team mate?
Wait, terrified?
Yes, there was an undeniable taint of panic in Artemis' dark eyes.
Oh crap.
It wasn't like they were officially going to the dance together. Although Robin and Mary were both busy in Gotham tonight, and Zatanna was assisting her dad at a magic stage show, and Aqualad had been called on a mission by Aquaman on a short notice, so they were on their own now, and of course they wouldn't know anyone else at that party, and she looked absolute stunning in her vampire cloak, and her theme kind of matched his own werewolf costume, and the idea of dancing with her, maybe even slow dancing with her, made his stomach flutter…
Yet she was clearly freaking out.
Wally suddenly knew with utter certainty that if he said anything cheesy at all, one wrong word, Artemis would bolt, and he might never get a chance like this again.
"Um", he started, and why was he talking already, why did he never finish thinking before opening his mouth? "I, uh, I hear there is a pretty cool Vietnamese food market around the corner from the New York City Zeta station?" What a cliché - if in doubt, retort to food? Yet her mother was Vietnamese, right? "Care to grab a bite before we crash that party?"
"New York City?", she repeated, blinking rapidly. God, she looked beautiful without her mask on.
"Yeah? I mean, unless you want to watch Conner and Megan embarrass themselves in front of their high school friends all evening…"
She chuckled, and he knew the crisis had passed. "Sure, let's see if we find some decent Pho Ga. Do you like spicy dishes?"
He just barely managed to bite back the obvious reply - You know I like it hot, babe – in favour of an enthusiastic "Let's find out!"
She typed their destination into the Zeta controls.
Needless to say, the evening ended with them being chased through New York City by a sword-wielding maniac and conversing with an actual, translucent, kind-of-helpful, creepy little ghost. By the time they showed up at Happy Harbour High School, the Halloween dance was long over.
Still, pretty memorable for a first date, right?
Author's note:
Just a few sweet scenes before we get back to the action... Did anyone catch the obvious reference to Yale Stewart's wonderful webcomic JL8? It features our beloved Justice League as eight-year-old kids in elementary school - you really have to check it out!